good morning. historic step. the pentagon expected to announce today it is lifting its long standing ban on women serving in combat, a ground breaking decision that's being both praised and criticized in and out of the military. rigorous defense. >> what difference at this point does it make? >> a fired up hillary clinton takes on her critics during the testimony about the terror attacks in benghazi. she's heading back to the hill today as the man slated to replace her begins his confirmation hearing. frozen solid. the arctic blast does not let up, millions of americans bracing for another day of bone

chilling temperature cast. thursday, january 24th, 2013. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a thursday morning. i'm savannah guthrie. >> i'm matt lauer. let's get right to this story in washington, the decision to allow women in combat roles, a watershed moment being praised by a lot of people and others starting to wonder how it might impact the capability of other forces. >> we all know women have been putting their lives in dangerous war zones for many years. what does this change really mean for a practical matter? this straight ahead. also, are you sitting in a room with your computer on right now. take a look because some 1 could be spying on you at this moment,

coming up how criminals can hack into your webcam and pull off an alarming invasion of privacy and some ways you can block them. a few details this morning on beyonce's performance on the national anthem at the inauguration. what the "wall street journal" uncovered and what big stars think about it. we will let you decide for yourself. why this super bowl ad already has 3 million hits online, it's still 10 days before the big game. >> i might have a few guess as to why. we will begin with a decision to lift the military's ban on women serving in cam bot. and jim has more on this. good morning to you. >> good morning. this is a seismic shift in policy for the pentagon and the military certain to shake things up. while female troops have sometimes been drawn into combat on the ground and iraq and afghanistan, this is the first

time they go to war as full-fledged combat infantry. for the past ten years, u.s. military women have served in the front lines in both iraq and afghanistan, but never as ground combat troops. lifting the 20 year ban against women in combat will ultimately put them directly into the heat of battle, opening more than 230,000 ground combat jobs to women. they'll gradually work their way through training to become combat infantry troops and could even serve in special operations forces. but is the military prepared for women in combat? >> my personal opinion, no, women should not be allowed in the infantry unit. there is men who have extremely hard time physically and emotionally in infantry unit. >> over a decade of war in iraq and afghanistan with no clear battle line, female soldiers and marines were caught up in the fight. 152 women were killed and more than 800 wounded.

>> congressman tammy duckworth lost both her legs as army helicopter pilot in iraq. she says lifting the ban will level the playing field for women. >> it's hard to make it to a general without a combat arms command at the brigade or battalion level and this will allow women to have some of that command time. >> women have to volunteer for combat duty and meet the said physical standards as men. >> the secretary of statandard just because they're women. >> i lost my leg in a bar fight -- i'm pretty sure i lost my leg in combat. >> they don't know how many women will volunteer and there could be growing pains and does not happen overnight. it could take two to three years before women are fully trained and combat qualified. they probably wouldn't go into combat anytime soon, primarily because that would be after the

combat mission for the u.s. is over in afghanistan, savannah. >> i'll take it. no problem. honored for the highest combat acti action. he's now an nbc analyst, good to see you. as he mention, women have been serving for years putting their lives on the line. does this simply formalize it or is it a watershed moment? >> no. i think it's a watershed moment because the policy was they could never be on front line units. the irony is the policy of keeping them out of front line units in afghanistan and particularly iraq caused injuries we had in units because we had them in non-combat units and truck drivers and those people got hurt by ieds. >> what do you think the reaction is among the rank and file. men on the front lines now.

>> you're already starting to hear the moans and groans saying this is the end of the military as we know it. >> when it was integrated with women 20 and 30 years ago, it turned out not to be the case and actually strengthened the organization. >> one of the things people worry about is it will create a double standard when it comes to training? do you think that's appropriate? >> that's a responsibility of leadership. there's no reason why men and women can't maintain the high standard of physical fitness and making sure they do is a part of leadership. let me ask you about the band of brothers, you know all too well men in combat say they fight to protect the lives of the men they are serving with. let me read you what the former commandant of the army war

college wrote about this. ground leaders and former combat leaders agree the precious and indefinable band of brothers effect so essential to winning in close combat would be irreparably compromised with mixed gender infantry squads. how do you feel about that? >> i think it's already been disproved because operating bases have been attacked and women fought alongside men. when people are trying ardently to kill you, it really doesn't matter who is on your left or right as long as they're doing their job. we fight to accomplish the mission. we fight for the country and most of all, we fight for each other. >> congress will have the final say on this. what do you think the reaction there will be. >> they will also be negative about it. this is interesting, panetta is leaving this legacy for hagel to pick up and we will hear plenty about it when hagel gets grilled by the senate. i think hagel has no answer at

the moment because it's a question, lifting the ban, imming it. it's one thing to implement the ban and something else to make it work. you can bet the senate will ask hagel, how will you make it work, senator and he won't have an answer. >> by that time hopefully he will have an answer. colonel jack jacobs. good to see you. savannah. secretary of state hillary clinton returns to capitol hill with heated questions about the terror attack on benghazi, libya. andrea hitmitchell has this sto. >> introduce iing john kerry toe senate confirmation hearing he chaired. it's a safe bet he will get a better reception than the hostile reception they gave hillary clinton on benghazi.

after nearly five hours of gruelling testimony, clinton showed rare public emotion talking about the deaths of ambassador chris stevens and three others in benghazi. >> for me, this is not just a matter of policy, it's personal. i stood next to president obama as the marines carried those flag drape caskets off the plane at andrews. i put my arms around the mothers and fathers, the sisters and brothers, the sons and daughters and the lives left alone to raise their children. >> she took the blame for the tragedy. >> i take responsibility and nobody is more committed to getting this right. >> her republican critics wanted to know what she knew and when she knew it. >> the american people deserve to know answers. they certainly don't deserve false answers. >> asking why repeated security warnings were ignored. eeb a cable ambassador stevens sent her september 11th, the day of the attack. >> these officials were screaming out for more security. >> had i been president at the

time and i found you did not read the cables from benghazi, you did not read the cables from ambassador stevens, i would have relieved you from your post. i think it's inexcusable. >> at times, clinton fired back. >> when you have a united states ambassador personally warning about the situation over there, sending this cable to your office -- >> if i could -- one point -- 4 million cables a year come to the state department and all addressed to me. >> we were misled there were supposedly protests and something sprang out of that, assault sprang out of that. >> the fact is we have four dead americans. was it because of a protest or guys out for a walk that decided they would go kill some americans. what difference at this point does it make? it is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator. >> still, even some republicans acknowledged this won't be clinton's last act in politics. >> i wish you the best in your future endeavors, mostly.

>> but one republican senator even suggested that clinton had been faking the emotion that she displayed. that's a sign they may well try to keep the benghazi controversy alive if she runs for president. clinton still leaves office next week more popular than any other modern secretary of state except colin powell. >> andrea mitchell, thank you. millions of people are waking up to bone chilling temperatures yet again this morning and the cold is not going away any time soon. nbc craig melvin is a few blocks away from us in central park. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. many folks have gotten used to what had been a relatively warm winter. now, this, look at my handy-dandy outdoor thermometer, sh showing 16 degrees. that is not taking consideration the windchill. it's warmed up in central park, single digits. many all over this country are waking up to a different kind of cold.

brutal, bone chilling and built to last, millions of americans in the grips of a bitter arctic blast, expected to last through the weekend and into monday. >> i was cold. i stayed in the house all day. >> freezing temperatures made worse by windchills that made it feel like 40 below zero, from the upper midwest to new england. unbearable for the brave workers outside. >> the first 30 seconds is okay. after that, it's brutal. >> reporter: for buildings, high winds shredded the roof of this in detroit. >> 10 minutes is all it takes for frostbite to set in. plumbers working overtime to fix broken furnaces. >> we're probably working 200% capacity right now, everybody working double shifts, trying to get everybody heat. >> reporter: in webster, new york, a snowy road sent a school bus into a ditch.

fortunately no one was hurt. staten island relief centers from superstorm sandy are now heating centers. >> my fingers felt like they would fall right off, it is that cold. >> reporter: but for some tourist, a chance for a moment frozen in time. for many, it's that teeth chattering uncomfortable cold. for others, it's been far worse. so far, several deaths are being blamed on this frigid cold snap, matt. >> craig melvin, thank you very much. mr. roker, the question is how long will this last? >> bundle up for the weekend because it will take that long to warm up. here's what we have for high temperatures today. looking at 12 in buffalo, 23 in cincinnati, jetstream way to the south. the good news, by monday, that jetstream moves up to the north and temperatures start to moderate. instead of 7 in bangor, 24 on monday. 38, new york city, washington, 32, 34 in cincinnati and 35 in

buffalo and we have an icy mix making its way in the spine of the appalachians in the midwest and northeast later on today. >> looking like a heat wave compared to what we've seen. natalie has a check of the other stories. >> good morning everyone. in other news, north korea is striking a defiant tone this morning, warning it is set to conduct yet another nuclear test despite condemnations from the united nations security council. its top governing body says it is designing rockets capable of striking the u.s. with warheads. the obama administration's fight for gun control is hitting the road on friday. vice president joe biden heads to the staunch ly pro-gun state of virginia and today he will take to the internet to take questions how to reduce gun violence speaking to the public on a live streaming google chat. female smokers today have a

higher risk of dying from lung cancer than several decades ago. in a study out by the new england journal of medicine, researchers are finding women are smoking more and starting younger patterns that mirror the smoking habit of younger counterparts. women have caught up with men in the risk of deaths of smoking related sickness. 18% of american women are smokers. cnbc mary thompson of the new york stock exchange, look likes a rough day ahead for aping, right? >> it certainly could be. apple shipped a record 7.8 million iphones in the last quarter given wall street was expecting it to sell 50 million, its shares drop 10% after-hours after reporting quarterly results which failed to impress, profits flat and sales came below estimates for the third straight quarter and weaker than expected sales for the current quarter and putting a six day win streak for the s&p 500 at

risk. >> thanks. lawmakers in rhode island vote whether or not to allow same sex marriage, the only state in new england that still prohibits same sex marriage. while it is expected to pass tonight's vote, it could face an uphill battle in the state senate. manny -- manti te'o speaking out about a hoax he had a girlfriend in an internet hoax. he said he felt he had to lie about the situation even after he discovered he had been misled. >> you stuck to the script and you knew something was amiss, manti. >> correct. >> why? >> well, anybody put yourself in my situation, katie, put yourself in my situation. my whole world told me she died on september 12th.

everybody knew that. this girl, who i committed myself to died on september 12th. now, i get a phone call on december 6th, saying that she's alive, and that i'm going to be put on national tv two days later and they asked me the same question. what would you do? >> te'o's father also appears in the interview to reject allegations that manti was in on the hoax to gain sympathy for personal gain. it is 7:17 right now. back over to matt, savannah and al. i guess we have to take his word for it. >> i'm sure he's hoping that will put an end to all of this. thanks. >> mr. roker back with the local forecast. >> let's see what we've got for you around much of the country, looking at a lot of wet weather in california and pacific northwest. rain in the mountains and windy conditions in the central rockies and look for snow across the peninsula and picking up

anywhere from 1 to 4 inches of snow along the great lakes and fog along the gulf coast of texas. your local forecast coming up right after this message. for my two leading ladies. while managing their schedule with my producing partner. i set up kid's corner so they can learn and play games without deleting my stuff. "working mom" is sometimes a tough role to play, but it's definitely the one i was born for. [ clattering, children laughing ] and...action. that's me. and this is my windows phone. [ male announcer ] now buy one nokia lumia 920 for just $99.99 and get a second one free at at&t. >> good morning. we have a nice coating of snow. everything should be tapering off this morning. mostly sunny this afternoon.

all right. here's a question for the group. you use your computer at home. when you're finished with it, do you leave it on. if it's a laptop, do you leave it open, if it's a desktop, do you leave the webcam on? >> leave it open. >> shut it down. >> shut it down. >> good thing to do. coming up, we'll tell you how criminals can hack into your computer, access your webcam and spy on your most personal moments without you knowing about it. and we'll tell you what you can do to shut that down. >> a change of policy, i now close my laptop and turn it off. also coming up, prince harry is back home in britain in the center of controversy over his statements of service in afghanistan. this is thursday morning. is it thursday?

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and that something... is the other sock. the everyday collection. by target. >> this is the fifth day of tv 11 news in baltimore. > -- this is wbal-tv 11 news and a baltimore. >> michael johnson is accused of murdering teenager phylicia barnes. the defense is arguing about the credibility of one- one of the defendant and in the case. he is under investigation for an

unauthorized search for his own teenage daughter who had run away. >> izzy to say the least. expect to be delayed pretty much anywhere you go. southbound delays are really heavy. this is what looks life on york road through the parkton region. the 13 miles per hour south of the beltway. westbound 197, a crash. we are looking at delays behind this crash. left lane closures, down to 31 miles per hour there. if you are somehow found 795, in the red from franklin boulevard all the way to the beltway. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> the clipper has passed five,

and left behind have snow shower and flurry activity. temperatures are in the teens. we will make it to about 27 this afternoon. forecast for today, snow flurries and in. a mixture of clouds and sunshine after that. seven-day forecast, snow comes back tomorrow. another clipper storm. minor accumulation is possible. dry and cold over the weekend.

is someone spying on you right now? the girls we just saw had no idea a stranger was using their own webcam on their computer to spy on them. actually, it was part of our investigation. but you'll be shocked to learn how easy it is for criminals to watch your most private moments, just ahead, we give you advice how you can keep it from happening to you. 7:30 on a thursday morning. the 24th of january, 2013. it's very cold outside. inside the studio, i'm mt. alongside savannah guthrie. >> also coming up this morning,

jennifer lopez and aretha franklin speaking out about beyonce performance at the inauguration and a tape that might prove she's singing after all. will it put an end to the controversy. plus, is this an experience you're experiencing in your own household. you are not overweight but your spouse is. how does it affect your relationship and how much strain does it put on your marriage? >> good advice. big names coming up on "today." former vice president al gore will be here tuesday and get his take on all things politics and washington and his view of the future he sketches out in a new book. microsoft founder bill gates joins us to talk about what he sees in the year ahead. bill gates next wednesday right here on "today." we will begin this half hour with a new rocking report, could predators be spying on you and

your kids through a webcam? here with eye hoping and kind of frightening details. good morning to you. >> hi. it is kind of scary. the really scary thing is we all use our computer and get distracted with something and simply walk away. you forget the computer is still on. the criminals are counting on it. now, they can hack into your webcam remotely watching your most intimate moments live. the worst part is you never even know. we will show you how they do it and how to protect yourself right now. >> reporter: these teenage girls don't know it but a stranger is spying on them inside their bedroom. and in their dining room, as the family either dinner. little do they know, thousands of miles away, this man has hacked into their laptop and turned on their webcam. >> people who are victims generally have no idea they are victims. >> reporter: that man is working

with us, computer expert jim stake stakely. >> they have pictures of you or someone else? >> they're all over the internet. >> reporter: they are easy targets. criminals like this man. prosecutors say he was spying on over 200 women through their webcams, watching their most private moments, even blackmailing some of them. he's now serving six years in prison. >> reporter: these are criminal, peeping toms? >> niethese are predator, your worst nightmare. >> they are watching you in your most intimate moment. >> anywhere, your bathroom, anywhere you have your hap tlap open. with with this family's permission, we had him hack into their computer and how did he do it, sent this little e-card. >> they can see a quacking duck and without their knowledge i also loaded a trojan during that

time. >> reporter: giving him access even when the computer is in sleep mode. you have no clue. >> have a seat. thanks for doing it. wi >> reporter: we told the mom and daughters we came to do a general story about online security. >> reporter: ever have a problem with someone hacking into your home? >> no. >> reporter: they had no idea days before we had been spying on them through our computer webcam. our interview over, we told the girls to go upstairs and wait in their room. then, downstairs, we let mom in on the secret. >> we actually recorded your family dinner the other night. no one was in your house except for you guys. >> it's really creepy. i mean, my children are on their computers in the evening in their bedrooms. i'm a little frightened right now for their security. >> reporter: oh we took it up a notch. having our expert hack into the webcam in her taug daughter's

upstairs bedroom. >> reporter: we're watching them in their bedroom. >> i am sick over this. >> this time it was our computer expert and next time it could be a predator. >> i'm glad to learn from this and try to avoid this from ever happening. >> reporter: then we gave the girls a wake-up call. >> we've been watching you from downstairs from your webcam. your expert was able to hack into your system and watch you in your room. >> oh, my god. >> it's scary. definitely scary. someone could be watching you anytime and this is where you feel the most comfortable. >> so how can you protect yourself, the main question. number one, shut off your computer when you walk away or close your laptop. you can also put a piece of black tape across the lens of the webcam. here's another tip. don't open any e-mails from people you don't know. we hear it all the time. that includes those facebook links that say things like watch

this incredible video. unless you trust the person, don't do it. those random links are exactly how the hackers get in. >> would you have any idea how widespread something like this is? >> it's hard for the fbi to know that because many victims don't even know they're victims unless you're blackmailed like the gentleman in that story did. and the problem is once he gets in, he can have hundreds of people he can watch at once. >> thank you. i don't think i'll be opening any e-mails from you any time soon. >> he's not the problem. >> i know. a check of the weather from al. >> a bunch of kids from tucson. a little colder than tucson? >> we're freezing! >> what school is this? >> we've also got a system from the west, a double barrelled system from minneapolis down to tennessee pushing friday across the country through the great lakes and the mid-atlantic and

reforming off the northeast coast. it will be bringing a lot of snow with it, especially along the great lakes and appalachians and all the way to the blue ridge mountainses, talking anywhere from 3 to 6 inches and lake effect snow could see 6-9 inches in new york state. icing conditions from bowling green to the blue ridge and north carolina area. we're talking significant icing a quarter of inch to half inch of ice and that could bring down power lines, trees and cause massive massive traffic problems em >> good morning. we could have some leftover snow flurries early this morning. it will turn mostly sunny.

>> get that weather any time you need it, especially in this kind of weather. weather.com online. savannah. >> all right, al. thank you very much. still ahead, the 9-year-old who landed an historic oscar nomination for her very first movie role. ann curry catches up with quvenzhane wallis. prince harry back in britain this morning with more to say about his tour of duty in afghanistan. s? i thought we might be related, so i had a fiber analysis done and sure enough, we're family. but you're not even shredded. you're...crunchy?! that happens sometimes. and you help keep people full with whole grain fiber? just like you guys. [ female announcer ] they're different, but the same. new frosted mini-wheats crunch. a tasty square packed with a crunch... [ crunch! ] ...of whole grain fiber that helps keep you full. it's a big breakfast... [ crunch! ] ...in new a little biscuit.

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prince harry is back in britain this morning and he's trying to clarify some of the comments he made during his tour of duty in afghanistan. nbc kir seir simmons is in buckingham palace this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. prince harry has faced criticism from his comments about killing the taliban. now, he's back and ainu interview, he's talking about what he's learned. >> it's been great. a hell of an experience. really proud of the guys. >> reporter: prince harry summing up his tour of duty in afghanistan, landing back in the uk, finally able to congratulate william and kate in person. her pregnancy announced while harry was away. >> i'm longing to see my brother and sister-in-law as any other soldier that got off the plane 4 1/2 months away and want to get invited. >> reporter: no doubt fueled by

criticism of othearlier comment saying he killed taliban fighters perhaps sounding cavalier. >> take a life to save a life. if the people -- if there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guy, then, you know, we'll take them out of the game, i suppose. >> reporter: even compared the deadly weapons in his helicopter with video game control. >> the trigger grip, too, designed for this younger generation, let's put it that wa way. >> with my friends, i like to play, it's quite useful. >> reporter: some in the afghan government complained and asked back home why he was more reflective. >> supporting the afghan people and expected to do things wearing this uniform, put it that way. >> reporter: the simple truth about war is this. >> there's nothing normal about war we've been doing 4 1/2

month, nothing normal about what's going on there. in the last day i was there, a 7-year-old girl got shot down by negatives. normality is a very ambiguous thing, if you know what i mean. >> reporter: harry says he is three people, soldier, prince, and the private person. sometimes he admits he forgets himself and the responsibility he always has as a royal. >> now, harry says, as a soldier, he is just one of the guys. he says his dad is always trying to impress upon him to remember he is a prince. this week, we've been left with the impression he still isn't fully comfortable with being a royal. one newspaper even described the soldier prince as at war with himself. >> they have been revealing interviews. thank you very much. we appreciate it. coming up, was beyonce singing after all at the white house inaugural. the tale of the tape. what will they call it now, a price change for the popular win

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quaker up. back now. 7:47 with the latest on the dust-up or as savannah calls it the kerfucle, whether beyonce was singing at the national anthem. >> it is a category one kerfucle. and some of her friends have spoke up. good morning to you. >> was it a spectacular performance from beyonce knowles or a little bit of both? it was something even the white house press core couldn't resist asking. >> was she lip-syncing or does the president say? >> in the midst of a white house briefing, jay can nip found

himself facing questions about beyonce. >> did you think she was really going to sing? >> i'm glad you guys are facing important questions of the day here. >> reporter: stars have come to her defense and jennifer lopez on "the daily show" said some situations require prerecorded vocals. >> in some situations they do prerecord things because you will have that terrible slap back. >> reporter: the national anthem is notorious for difficulty prompting some to lip sync. one forgettable example is whitney houston at the 1991 super bowl and jennifer hudson got the same helping hand and queen of soul aretha franklin hit some rough spots as she sang the national anthem in freezie

ing temperatures. franklin told nbc news if beyonce decided to take no chances in the cold weather she wouldn't blame her for it. >> if it was, i could certainly understand her prerecord iing t assure and guarantee her performance. >> reporter: but to some ears, beyonce's live singing could clearly be heard above the recorded musical tracks at least on this posted by the "wall street journal." >> the bombs bursting in air. >> reporter: a british audio engineer writes on his blog even beyonce's near perfect performance has some variation in sound and volume and wouldn't be the case if she were lip syncing. ♪ the home of the brave the brave ♪ >> sounds good to me. this whole controversy started

when the director of the marine band reported the singer and the band had used prerecorded tracks, a comment the band spokesperson then backed away from. so far only beyonce and a hand full of other people probably know for sure how much was live and mem or x. the fact she's scheduled to sing at the super bowl in 10 days means millions of americans will be hanging on to every note trying to tell for sure. >> if i were her at the super bowl, i'd stop intentionally in the middle of the song and cough and prove it. >> it may happen. >> thanks so much. coming up, how to handle the marital problems that can arise when one spouse is overweight and the other is not. it can really put a strain on the marriage. >> after your local news. [ male announcer ] when you're at the corner of "i'm a new parent"

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>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >>. good. i am -- good morning. i am mindy basara. >> take plenty of time to get you where you need to go. just prior to the maryland line, this is taking up the left lane. in live pictures and york road shows the pace of things all the way to the beltway. lanes are closed due to an accident in eldersburg. this is the pace of things

all the way southbound to the beltway. more problems to add to the list. southbound 29 past 100, watch for a crash. heavy delays on southbound 95 through howard county. 18 miles per hour on average. a little bit better. it is going to take a long time to get you where you need to go this morning. tony has more on the forecast. >> it little bit of snow, but enough to cause problems on the roads. left behind, snow flurries, and most of that is south of baltimore. it will not take long for it to dissipate. cold, at 16 at the airport, same thing and westminster, 14 in parkton. snow flurries coming to an end, mostly sunny this afternoon. high-temperature around 27.

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8:00 now on a thursday morning, the 24th of january, 2013. look at that. a pretty snowy day in washington d.c. it is a chilly one up and down the east coast. a lot of people feeling the bone chilling temperatures here in new york city. not snowing yet but we may see them. >> wouldn't that have been great for the inaugural? >> it would have been pretty unless we were standing in it. >> we say hello to the fine folks standing outside. and now "today" alongside matt lauer and al roker. coming up, something a lot

of folks deal with, what do you do when one partner is overweight and one is thin. it can cause a lot of strain and we talk to one couple who dealt with it and came through it and have quite the story to tell. also coming up, ann curry went to new orleans to talk to the youngest oscar nominee actress ever, 9-year-old quvenzhane wallis. looks like they ate well and we find out how that conversation went when we check in with her. something parents are wondering, what are your teens really up to? whether it's their online life, what they do in spring break. we will get a reality check from teenagers about what's really going on in their world. okay. first we had to natalie morales with a check on today's top stories. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. defense secretary leon panetta is lifting the military's 20 year ban on women in combat. the decision will eventually

open hundreds of thousands of ground combat jobs for women that have to volunteer for combat duty. in reality, women have found themselves in combat in iraq and afghanistan and more than 300 have wean killed and 800 wounded. still shivering in below freezing winter weather and dangerously slick roads and putting strain on furnaces and water pipes. and hurricane sandy tents being used as heating centers. john kerry will undergo nominations for secretary of state and he will follow hillary clinton facing tough questions of the benghazi attack. she faced tough questions on the terror attack on benghazi and libya and said she took full responsibility. this morning, british

officials warned of a specific imminent threat of westerners to benghazi urge iing british nationals to leave the city and avoid problems. and pleading not guilty as the doctor who wormed her breast enhancement surgery. peter robins purchased a gun and not yet received it and practiced at a shooting range. and a quick round-up of what has you talking online. the parents council is outrage at this super bowl ad of kate upton and poses harmful negative images to children says the ad reinforces the notion of using sex appeal to get what you want. the video has already attracted nearly 3 million views in just two days. wonder why. food related stories

triggered a feeding frenzy online. trader joe's is hiking the cost of its wine kip pickly known as two bucks to $2.49 and some calling it up chuck. and fish mcbites, nuggets made with the same fish as fillet sandwiches. two new jersey men are suing subway claiming it sold foot long sandwiches about a foot short and subway acknowledged it condition can vary when franchises don't follow corporate standards. and lebron james did an imitation at the benefit of take charge foundation. ♪ >> the take charge foundation strives to encourage and inspire leadership qualities in young people. all that rocking for a good

cause. as you can hear, no lip syncing there. over to matt and savannah. >> he could have used a little prerecorded track. >> he will take his talents to the dance floor. naturally, thank you very much. >> mr. roker standing by on the chilly plaza with a check on the forecast. >> we have a young lady with a birthday. you're freezing. what's your name? >> mary. >> you're 80? >> 80 years old today. >> you look great. >> you were here last year, weren't you? >> no. you. six years ago? you look fantastic. in 20 years, you'll be on willard's smucker's jars. you look fantastic. spin that around and show you. you're going to be here. all right. let's check your weather. pick city today, utica, new york, news channel 2, a little utica club beer. a little cold for that. snow showers and jenny cream,

remember that? afternoon temperatures, single digits below in northern new england. 80 in florida and 20s and 30s in the rockies where we have snow as this system gets together and makes its way across the country. until then, we're looking at lake-effect snow and windy conditions along the northeastern new england coast and morning snow leaving delmarva and atlantic states, >> good morning. c we have a nice coating of snow. everything should be tapering off this morning. mostly sunny this afternoon.

that's your latest weather. so nice of you to stay. >> i wouldn't miss spending time with you guys. >> taking one for the team. coming up, the heavy toll it can take on a marriage when one partner is overweight and the other is not. we'll talk about it right after these messages. what's so special about mini babybel cheese? it's the tasty -- whoa! [ laughing ] it's the tasty 100% natural little cheese that --

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dinner table and even interfere with intimacy. >> pancakes? >> reporter: weight, it can loom large in a relationship, especially when only one-half of the couple is fighting the battle of the budge. in a new study researchers found so-called mixed weight couples where only one person is overweight have more conflict than same weight couples arguing about everything from food choices to fitness to sloppy clothes. >> more anger, more arguing, more resentment. of those mixed weight couples with more conflict where the man was thin and woman was heavy they had the most conflict. >> reporter: like so many, rene watching her weight and doesn't help her husband, adam either whenever he wants. >> he orders a hot dog and he really pushes my button, you want a salad, right, honey? >> for today's internal challenge, i want, too, i want to have what he's having.

why can't i? more of a strain on me. i get annoyed and he feels badly because he can have whatever he wants. >> reporter: for some couples it goes far beyond minor irritations. added weight can put a strain on riches from sex to communication. for these two, it even interfered with their quality time together before she lost 55 pounds. >> it was stressful because she didn't really want to do a lot of the things we had done before. >> you don't feel like you, you know, look good either to yourself or to your spouse. it really puts a heavy cloud on the things you want to do. >> reporter: alishia says james helped her lose the weight through encouragement, not criticism. >> you have to figure out how you can let your partner help you and not get angry at them. that's the hardest part. if you do it as a team, the person who's overweight feels supported. >> when we cook together, it's more fun together, we make better choices together. >> reporter: shedding pounds and

some weight on the relationship. >> researchers say they don't know which comes first in a relationship, conflict or weight gain because the cycle often feeds itself when relationship stress leads to eating and more stress. >> thank you. betsy and her husband resolved conflicts in their marriage but not before a lot of frustration. betsy has written a book about it called "finished being fat." good morning to both of you. you are obviously a success story. you lost 75 pounds in ten months. before a lot of that happened, there was a lot of strain in your marriage. can you describe the dynamic? >> yeah. something i also describe in the book i call fat goggles, like beer goggles except with fat. everything revolved around weight, whether i was gaining or losing, what we could eat, do together, whether i would let him touch me because i was

afraid secretly he was disgusted or not want to go out because he was embarrassed by me. >> on your part, what is a partner supposed to do? you might want to encourage her to eat better or exercise. i can see that might set you off, too, if you're feeling bad. >> it's really difficult. it's really hard to encourage somebody to eat healthier without that coming off as nagging and being -- making her feel worse about her choices. if i'm saying, well j let's skip dessert or maybe we shouldn't order that dessert she's automatically going to feel bad about that and focus on her weight and self-image. >> i know you say you got married during what you call your skinny period and you said you put on some weight by the wedding and put on a whole lot of weight by your five year variance. this got very serious. you contemplated divorce, as i understand it? >> yes. i wanted a way out.

i figured maybe if i could escape, i could be somebody else because nobody would know me and try again and maybe successful that time. i was tired of feeling unloved and broken and thought maybe that was the way out. >> i know you tried to help along the way and you love your wife, but we're going to out you. you had a couple of sentences i think you said you have not lived down to this day. one time, when she was trying to spice things up, you said, i guess you're one of those people who looks better in clothes. another time, you said, maybe you should wear something different before you go out. we tease you a little bit. it's difficult sometimes to know the right thing to say. >> it's very difficult. yes. the one time in particular i opened my mouth without thinking and regretted it ever since. that was a tough thing with what cloths she would wear because when she was heavier, she didn't feel like dressing up and putting on nice clothes. she wanted to wear things with elastic waistbands and things

easier to wear and felt like she was hiding the weight when it was maybe making her look worse. >> you guys are a success story. let's give advice here. what is the key piece of advice from your perspective? >> from my perspective, you have to focus on not just on the outside but inside and on that negative little voice that tells you, you can't- -you're fat. no matter what your spouse is or other people may say, i guarantee the person who's heavy says so much worse things to themselves and you need to stop that dialogue. >> from your perspective, what's the best piece of advice? >> i was diagnosed with diabetes and i learned i had to watch what i would eat, too, and that gave me new sympathy for her and ability to relate to some of that and it's better to make those decisions about eating together and not have one person eating all the food.

>> it's great to talk to you both. i know it's difficult to talk about those issues. we really appreciate you being here. a lot of people can relate. appreciate it. coming up next, ann curry catches up with oscar's youngest nominee ever. next. [ female announcer ] we invited women to see the not so pretty truth about their body washes. i wouldn't change. [ female announcer ] this test paper was designed to react like your skin. if other body washes can strip this paper, imagine how harsh they can be to your skin. oh my gosh. [ female announcer ] new dove is different. its new breakthrough formula changes everything with the blend of gentle cleansers and nourishing nutrium moisture. so what do you think now? definitely switching to dove. [ female announcer ] this is new. this is different. this is care.

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[ male announcer ] end your long week... with a weekend getaway. save up to forty percent on all weekend hotel stays. book by january thirty first at hiltonanyweekend.com. whatever happens on oscar night, quvenzhane wallis is the youngest actress in history. ann curry meets up with the "beasts of the wild star" and chat about everything from acting to her fannedness of justin bieber. >> the whole universe depends on everything fitting together. >> she's a small star with enormous talent. quvenzhane was just 6 when she took on the role of hush puppy.

her character faces seemingly n insurmountable odds. a life of poverty in the louisiana bayou, with no mother and father dying and a fierce storm threatens whatever they have. hush puppy must learn to survive on her own. >> some day when i'm gone, you're going to be the last man. you have to learn how to feed yourself. >> apple fritters. >> reporter: dwight has been a baker in new orleans for 30 years. he plays the father in the film and like quvenzhane, he, too, is a first-time actor. >> so the moment you first heard that the first movie you had ever acted in had been nominated for four academy awards, how did you react? >> i was half a slesleep so did really reacted. >> you woke up. >> yes. >> when you woke up and somebody told you -- >> i put on my clothes and then i woke up and then the director

and the producers ran into the room and they just were yelling and screaming. so i jumped on them. >> what about you, mr. henry? >> it was an unbelievable feeling. like my own daughter got an oscar. >> reporter: quvenzhane said her favorite part of shooting the film was the seafood. we went out for louisiana style crawfish. >> what you do is you take off the head. >> reporter: take off the head. okay, twist it. oh, i didn't do very well. okay. oh! okay. >> you didn't do it right? >> no, i didn't do it right. >> put that down. >> reporter: like a true louisiana native, quvenzhane says she can eat five pounds of crawfish. >> oh, that was good. >> reporter: it took a while before i finally got my first bite. that's delicious. i'm amazed. i'm so glad i learned this from you. i would have had no idea. >> louisiana style. >> reporter: louisiana style. her future is as bright as her

personality. even as her film stands as a lesson in fortitude and she takes her place in history, she reminds us, too, she is still a 9-year-old, much like any other. >> i like disney channel music and i like justin bieber's song "boyfriend." i like skyscraper and i like demi lovato and celine gomez and beyonce. i think that's it. >> sing a line for me from the song you love. >> i got one. >> reporter: go ahead. >> i like to be everything you are hey girl ♪ ♪ let me talk to you if i was your boyfriend i never let you go never let you go ♪ >> well done. you are a triple threat, it sounds like. >> i guess. >> you know what that is? >> yes. that means you do three things and try to do it at once, like a 3-1 shampoo.

>> is that what you are? is that what you are? >> i'm a three in one. >> a triple threat. >> triple threat. >> yes, she is. >> she is. >> she's adorable. >> you can see more of ann's conversation with her tonight on "rock center" with brian williams at 10:00 and 9:00 central time on nbc. we've been talking about al's big moment at the inauguration. last night, jay leno had a look. >> this is interesting, ""inside edition"" profiled this secret service agent that worked at the inauguration and works with the president. here's the story. >> she's one of the women part of the president's security detail. >> reporter: she's the woman who seemed to be everywhere at the inauguration. here she is steps behind the first family and shadowing the president and michelle and here after al roker sidetracked the

vice president and president during the parade. >> oh. snapped his neck! >> it snapped back very nicely. i shook it off. >> i'll give you an hour to stop that. >> very cuete. >> meanwhile, look who's here. meredith with kathie lee. good morning. >> we have a lot coming up. >> for instance? >> that is terrible. >> it's obviously 8:20. >> we are going to do a cosmetic procedure. i guess you could call it that, on meredith, at the top of the show. this is a good one worth watching. it will affect a lot of women who have the exact same issue. >> you want to tell us about it? >> we can't. i'm still a little nervous about it but i will do it. >> she's going to go through with it. >> you're not that good an actres actress. >> i'm an excellent actress.

>> the "sex and the city," the star -- >> the kerry diary. >> "sex and the city." >> we will also have our ambush makeover and combed the crowd and have a couple of ladies, as we speak. >> you make me laugh. i'm sorry. that could be fun. the fourth hour of the "today" show with meredith and hoda. coming up, how to retire the cheapskate way.

>> this is wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. here is traffic pulse 11 and sarah caldwell. >> a little bit of snow and a lot of problems as a result. eastbound at 70 and 29, getting word of a accident there. 17 miles per hour towards the beltway. we're down to 16 miles per hour on the harrisburg expressway. pace of things from parkton to

the beltway. liberty record, we have an accident. a live picture shows that traffic is at a crawl from franklin boulevard to the beltway. curtis brands and ordnance road, we have an accident. heavy delays on the road south of the city. everywhere you go, expect extra time needed for your morning commute. john collins joins us with eight forecast. thingsgh to make very slippery. it does not take much to do that hit plenty of sunshine out there this morning. current conditions at b.w.i. marshall, 15 degrees. 77% the humidity. barometer is up there. for all intents and purposes, snow is over for today. variable winds of about 10 miles per hour. another system on late friday and early saturday could we

could see more snow. still not a blockbuster snowfall by any chance. by sunday, we might get up to the freezing point. >> we are back with another update at 8:56.

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830 :30 on a thursday morni the 24th of january, 2013. on the plaza this morning, appreciate it, a chilly morning in the northeast, i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie and al roker and natalie morales. and we showed you that fire at the warehouse and the fireman

tried to put it out with water and basically encased the entire building in ice. >> it is now rekindled, firefighters are back on the scene. the danger now because of the weight of all that ice on this five and six story warehouse, the walls are starting to collapse. they were going to bring in wrecking crews to take this thing down. now, it's on fire again and this is a very very dangerous volatile situation going on now, courtesy of the chopper television station in chicago. >> we'll keep track of that story. on a really chilly day towi swih gears here. what would be great is a hot piping bowl of soup. we're in luck because we have a chef upstairs to cook us two different kinds of soup and good ingredients. also, if you are a parent of a teen in light of the manti

te'o story recently, do you know who your teen's friends are online and should you let them go on a trip without adult supervision. we have interesting results and will talk about them with a panel of teens coming up. >> basically, the parents say no and teens say yes. if you don't think you're saving enough for a comfortable retirement, we will get advice from an ultimate cheapskate and if you're having relationship problems or deficiting apart from your best friend or other matters, we have advice for you. >> how about a check on the weather. >> it's already cold in the northeast and midwest and mid-atlantic states. tomorrow, we're looking at significant icing in the mid-atlantic and ohio river valley and rain in the south and snow from the gaiks areat lakes shower expand in the rockies and lake-effect snow in the great lakes, frigid in the northeast . rain in the pacific northwest.

more icing in illinois, and wet weather on the coast and it will remain frigid f >> good morning. we could have some leftover snow flurries early this morning. it will turn mostly sunny. we have nice friends here. what's your name? >> autumn. >> autumn. where are you guys from? >> lake placid, new york. >> that's a little chilly up there anyway, you're used to this? having a good time? thanks for being here. good to see you.

let's head to washington d.c. where uncle willie is holding court. >> here we are at the national gallery of arts ice skating ring. beautiful people, lovely. a little chilly this morning. heaven birthday from smucker's, enjoy biscuits and smucker's jam and you won't worry about the cold weather. here is willard hanson from largo, florida, 100 years old today, avid collector and get out and collect it and have fun with it. then we have ruby ruby, don't take your love to town, ruby williams, pretty lady from greenland from the state of arkansas, 108 years old. and her secret to longevity is have a good heart. and this is andy vireno, 100 years old today and loves to play golf and very active in his community. here's the lovely marie frevert,

from iowa, make a lot of stuff out there. 109 years old today. she managed a farm for many many years, she says eat healthy and you'll live forever. she is living proof. this is waldo. we finally found waldo. waldo anderson, handsome devil. started several drive-ins a few years ago, made a good living at it, watches football and one of our good friends. can't beat that. hi, ruth moffett, miami, florida, 100 years ago today. she is a really big fan of newspapers, reads them every time she gets a chance. s she's got books all over her house. can't beat that. now, speaking of all over your house, i hope you have tvs on for the "today" show. >> thank you very much. coming up, the ultimate cheapskate has tips on happier

and earlier retirement. cheapskate has tips on happier and earlier retirement. first, this is cheapskate has tips on happier and earlier retirement. first,mommy! i went potty! that's great, honey.... where? for life's bleachable moments. [ harry umlaut ] hey you know what, i speak european. [ sally umlaut ] european isn't a language. i think they speak all kinds over there. nah. it's basically one language with a few variations. my cousin has a passport. uh-huh. take this fascinating muller yogurt. frut up. means "fruit up." as in creamy yogurt down below. and a delectable, aromatic layer of blended fruity, moussey, uppiness on top. frut up. as the europeans say. in their language. wow. you really are bilingual. yeah, i dated a comma in high school.

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back now, 8:38. with a tough economy, people are pinching pennies just to get by. according to the self-proclaimed ultimate cheapskate, there's another benefit. being cheap might lead you to a better earlier happier retirement, his book is how to retire the cheapskate way. good morning. good to see you. >> good morning, happy 2013. the year of the cheapskate. >> is it? for you, every year is the year of the cheapskate, right? >> right. >> let's talk about you say right off the bat this is not a get rich quick book, how to be happy with what you have. >> i don't write books how to get rich and how to get happy perhaps with what you already have and when you look at

people's retirement dreams and expectations. >> talking about retirement, one of your cheapskate principles, as you say, help us live within our 3450emeans but below our me >> it's inextricably important. only about 30% of americans do that including my cheapskates and allows you to live below your means on a 45% basis and allows you to avoid risky last minute investing schemes to maximize your returns. >> the basic idea is do things the cheapskate way and put that money towards your own retirement. >> become your own cfo, chief frugal officer. you interviewed some of your cheapskates and pretty proud of some of the things they've done. this is stacy, a single mom. here's what she had to say. >> hi. i'm stacy barnett from illinois and i am a cheapskate.

one of the things i was spending the most money on was beauty products. so i started doing some research online and found not only great cheap products but also products that you can make at home. it saved me so much money. >> stacy has a great story. she worked her way out of i think $165,000 worth of debt. what is she doing right? she did. the important thing about stacy's story is she's finding little incremental ways to save on things that add up over time. do you know if you live close enough to where you work, could washing everyd walk everyday, over the course of your career you'd save half a million dollars during the course of your career and have a great looking pair of legs. >> and before you retire yourself, let's listen to what this family had to say. >> hey, we're jonathan and sherry from jackson, mississippi. >> our retirement plans include

being 100% debt free including our house by the age of 40, only four years away and understand how easy it would be to enjoy retirement to the fullest without a big house payment over our head es. we also have ap joint checking account to pay our utilities but use cash for everything including groceries. >> they are superstars. can you really expect to pay off your house before you retire? >> amen. according to the cheapskates unless you're debt-free, you're really not qualified to retire and how to keep debt out of our lives on an ongoing basis the average adult will spend $600,000 of interest in their lifetime. the cheap skates are spending a fraction of that and live by the rule, if you can't afford it now you simply can't afford it. >> let's hear about this family's experience. >> hi. i'm dan, am in 69. i'm liz, age 65. >> we built and accessory

dwelling unit underneath our house, about 900 square feet and a 400 square foot guest cottage. with a regular house on top. i'm building a food garden all around our lot and going to can and freeze and dry food, so i am hoping that we can grow most of it right where we live. >> so they're pretty special, they're growing their own food. >> first, i have to say, i have a great case of mustache envy with that guy. they're using their time in l liz's case to raise food that supplements their budget because it is a passion for them as much to occupy their time as to populate their bank account. the other great lesson is they're leveraging their home to create a rental unit that will provide additional income in retireme retirement. >> great ideas. thank you so much. >> stay cheap. >> the book is called how to retire the cheapskate way. coming next, teens' p

perspective on the

this morning on "today's" parenting what you need to know about your teens. we posted a survey on some hot button topics on today.com. it hit a nerve. tens of thousands of people responded snochltd he responded. here to talk about results. host and psychologist, jennifer and two teens. let's talk about this manti te'o story. a lot of people are talking about this. here's a guy who apparently had a relationship he built with a girl he thought was real online and eventually got to the point he called her his girlfriend. there's a lot of other facts to the story. we don't have time for those right now. i think what a lot of parents, lucy, are trying to get their arms around is could their teen

have a relationship with someone online and get to the point where they feel romantically link to that person even though they've never met that person? >> teens in our generation are so used to the internet and grew up in live chat rooms, talking to strangers meeting people our parents probably tell us to stay away from. as teens, you know, we're so used to that, that euroing i dok it's at all strange. >> this doesn't shock you that this guy thought he had a girlfriend and never met her. >> unfortunately, no. >> sam. >> what's different about our generation we don't group online relationships and interpersonal relationships differently and think they're the same thing. we talk to someone online, text th them, e -mail them. >> talking about a girlfriend. would either of you label someone online a girlfriend or boyfriend you never met in

person? >> absolutely not. >> one thing i say with manti te'o one thing he differe differentiated. he forget the personal part. >> we wouldn't do that. >> the dismiss that. >> i will bring you in, in a second, doctor. we asked our viewer, more than 25,000 responded. are you surprised someone can develop an emotional relationship with someone online, 76% said now and 24% said yes. >> their generation doesn't know life without the internet, texting, facebooking, this is how friendships and relations p relationshirelationshi relationships develop, you and i know getting on the phone and face to face interaction and that's what's getting missed in all of this and where manti te'o left off. guess i have a different definition friending someone and becoming someone's friend. >> with teenagers, you guys are

texting, communicating, not talking on the phone, conversation often is texts back and forth, not on the phone conversation. >> what's the take away for parents on this? what do they need to know? >> we use facebook and other social media sites, instagram, p pinterest and twitter people we don't know. >> a lot of conversations around dinner tables the next couple of weeks, teenagers going to their parents saying i think i'm ready. i would like you to let me go away with my friends on a spring break trip, no parental supervision. how should you talk to your parents about this and how should parents deal with their teens? >> one common thread, when kids get in lots of trouble or too drunk, go to the hospital, parents are never involved, never communicating with these kids. if you do decide to let your kid go on a spring break trip i wouldn't necessarily advise, if you do decide, make sure you're

in contact with them and texting them and calling them and know where they are. >> there are ground rules, you will call me three times a day or reachable three times a day. >> exactly, set these ground rules. keep in mind, i don't think there's a set age or set grade a parent will say this is a time you can go on spring break without your family. it's kind of a family decision. you should talk about it. my friends and i sort of organized this and we decided to compromise. my girlfriends and i went on a trip with our 340moms. >> 93% who responded to our survey said, yes. parents need to set ground rules. is a negotiations appropriate here, doc? >> sure. you have two teenagers basically saying we want the rules. everybody knows what the expectations are going in is what's important. how often do they have to call? what is the expectation of their behavior. >> zero alcohol tolerance policy. >> great to put on the table. how can you enforce that if you're not there. if you know alcohol is going to

be present, faulk about how to do it and use it smartly. >> lucy, you had a good point, talked to our producer, look to see how your child or teenager behaves on the weekend that's kind of how they behave on spring break. >> if your child is coming home every weekend drunk, causing trouble in the town, misbehaving, that's how they're on spring break. if they're behaving, listen to what you say, follow curfew, you kind of have to trust that's how they will be in mexico. >> if you have a responsible kid, they will be responsible wherever. >> thank you. good information for parents and teens. appreciate it very much. up next, some homemade soups to warm you up on a frigid day like the one we're having in the northeast. first, this is "today" on nbc.

back now, 8:52. this morning in "today's" kitchen, what's on the menu, hea hearty soup, just what we need on this cold day. a a people are intimidated about soup and think it takes all day. >> it's a great weekend activity and the key is using canned beans. >> i can't believe it from bon appetite, we can use canned beans? >> today we are.

>> it's one stop shopping and go to the grocery store and use two different soups? >> sure. absolutely. one of the things about beans, they take on any flavor you give the them. >> tell us about this recipe. >> this is in the skillet and you can slice this out. you pull this out. >> you're just browning it or cooking it? >> cooking and stir it at the end and thyme and garlic, nice and fragrant. it's really as simple as putting in some can ned beans. you rinse them off. you know how they come in that liquid. rinse it off. >> sure. i'm always making beans. >> they come in liquid. then some beans and chicken broth. this is so super simple. a lot of this you keep in your pantry.

there are amazing white beans, on the weekend, put them in water overnight but you don't have time during the week. >> could you use any sausage you wanted. >> i add spice to it. this is for fresh chorizo. the spanish one is skinnier, has more flavor in terms of that spice. this is like garlic and chiles. you can use i ttalian sausage a the one thing about sausage someone else did the work putting in all the flavor. >> i like it. you have simmering over here. >> exactly. baby spinach from the supermarket. you fold that in and that chorizo you sliced up, dump it right in. >> sure. >> this will wilt down pretty quickly. this is more of a stew than soup, i guess. it's healthy. you have your veg, beans and

meat and all-in-one skillet. not too much to clean up. i feel like you could handle this. >> i actually feel i could handle this, shockingly. how long do you cook this? >> just until the spinach wilts down which is happening particularly slowly right now. spoon it into bowls. this looks more like a salad than a soup. >> we can wait. >> trust me on this. >> i do. i totally trust you. you have another recipe, we won't go through the whole process, basically, you're using the same white beans. >> the same white beans again. if you don't eat meat and feeling lighter, onion and celery and garlic and canned tomato and fresh tomatoes and white beans. for the last 10 minutes, put in soup pasta, which have amazing names. farfilini. >> you had me at farfilini. and the gang is here.

i don't think it's terribly intimidating. i will make some soup tonight. thank you so much. coming up, we have some interesting topics, cooking. for "today's" take three. did you see when serena williams smashed her racket? >> it happens. >> in the heat of the moment. >> ever smash your golf club? >> no. first, your local news and weather. >> this is a wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. you could pay more for gas in maryland. and increase and the gas tax is on the table as a way to raise money for struggling transportation funds. the proposal would raise $300 million a year.

april could be introduced later

>> dust-up of snow is over for the time being. we stay below freezing pay highs of 24 to 29 today. much colder than normal. more snow and a forecast by the end of the day tomorrow.